God's Gift to Man

I have been shown the great love and condescension of God in giving His
Son to die that man might find pardon and live. I was shown Adam and Eve, who were
privileged to behold the beauty and loveliness of the Garden of Eden and were permitted to
eat of all the trees in the garden except one. But the serpent tempted Eve, and she
tempted her husband, and they both ate of the forbidden tree. They broke God's command,
and became sinners. The news spread through heaven, and every harp was hushed. The angels
sorrowed, and feared lest Adam and Eve would again put forth the hand and eat of the tree
of life and be immortal sinners. But God said that He would drive the transgressors from
the garden, and by cherubim and a flaming sword would guard the way of the tree of life,
so that man could not approach unto it and eat of its fruit, which perpetuates
immortality.

Sorrow filled heaven as it was realized that man was lost and that the
world which God had created was to be filled with mortals doomed to misery, sickness, and
death, and that there was no way of escape for the offender. The whole family of Adam must
die. I then saw the lovely Jesus and beheld an expression of sympathy and sorrow upon His
countenance. Soon I saw Him approach the exceeding bright light which enshrouded the
Father. Said my accompanying angel, "He is in close converse with His Father."
The anxiety of the angels seemed to be intense while Jesus was communing with His Father.
Three times He was shut in by the glorious light about the Father, and the third time He
came from the Father we could see His person. His countenance was calm, free from all
perplexity and trouble, and shone with a loveliness which words cannot describe. He then
made known to the angelic choir that a way of escape had been made for lost man; that He
had been pleading with His Father, and had obtained permission to give His own life as a
ransom for the race, to bear their sins, and take the sentence of death upon Himself, thus
opening a way whereby they might, through the merits of His blood, find pardon for past
transgressions, and by obedience be brought back to the garden from which they were
driven. Then they could again have access to the glorious, immortal fruit of the tree of
life to which they had now forfeited all right.

Then joy, inexpressible joy, filled heaven, and the heavenly choir sang
a song of praise and adoration. They touched their harps and sang a note higher than they
had done before, because of the great mercy and condescension of God in yielding up His
dearly Beloved to die for a race of rebels. Then praise and adoration was poured forth for
the self-denial and sacrifice of Jesus, in consenting to leave the bosom of His Father,
and choosing a life of suffering and anguish, and an ignominious death, that He might give
life to others.

Said the angel, "Think ye that the Father yielded up His dearly
beloved Son without a struggle? No, no." It was even a struggle with the God of
heaven, whether to let guilty man perish, or to give His darling Son to die for them.
Angels were so interested for man's salvation that there could be found among them those
who would yield their glory and give their life for perishing man. "But," said
my accompanying angel, "that would avail nothing." The transgression was so
great that an angel's life would not pay the debt. Nothing but the death and intercession
of God's Son would pay the debt and save lost man from hopeless sorrow and misery.

But the work which was assigned the angels was to ascend and descend
with strengthening balm from glory to soothe the Son of God in His life of suffering. They
administered unto Jesus. Also, their work was to guard and keep the subjects of grace from
the evil angels and from the darkness which was constantly thrown around them by Satan. I
saw that it was impossible for God to change His law in order to save lost, perishing man;
therefore He suffered His darling Son to die for man's transgressions.